Owner Letter (1997)
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT AIR BAG SAFETYTO: Owners of 1997 Model Year Chrysler Corporation Vehicles Equipped with Passenger Air Bags
Air Bags Save Lives, But They Can Cause Harm Too
Chrysler would like to share some important information with you regarding an automotive industry issue. You may have heard over the last few months, news regarding some tragic child deaths and injuries due to passenger side air bag deployments. We have been concerned and saddened by these tragedies and want to improve the future safety of children in vehicles equipped with passenger side air bags. Nothing could be more important than that.
This letter is intended to help you understand how to make you and your passengers, especially children, as safe as possible.
First, let us reassure you: Air bags are very effective supplemental safety devices. They are put there to save lives, and they do. You should be aware, however, that seat belts are the most important safety devices in your vehicle. Seat belts save thousands of lives every year.
The deaths of children in vehicles equipped with passenger air bags, while extremely rare, are nonetheless tragic. All of these infants or children were riding in the front passenger seat. Almost without exception, they were not properly restrained with lap and shoulder belts and/or an appropriate child safety or booster seat.
What We Ask You To Do
These are four simple steps you can take to minimize the risk of harm from a deploying air bag:
1. Children 12 years old and under should ride buckled up in a rear seat:
- Infants in rear-facing child safety seats (designed for children up to one year or 20 pounds) should NEVER ride in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger side air bag. An air bag deployment can cause severe injury or death to infants in this position.
- Children (from 20 to 60 pounds) should be secured in a rear seat in child safety seats or booster seats. If the booster seat is not equipped with a front shield, the child should be seated in a rear outboard seat area to take advantage of the added safety of the available lap and shoulder belt.
- Older children who do not use child safety seats or booster seats should ride properly buckled up in a rear seat, in an outboard seat area if possible.
- Never allow children (or anyone) to slide the shoulder belt behind them or under their arm;
If your vehicle does not have a rear seat:
- Infants (up to 1 year or 20 pounds) should never ride in the vehicle, because the rear facing child seat places them too close to the passenger air bag in the event of a crash.
- Children from 1 to 12 years old: Move the passenger seat as far back as possible. Children from 20 to 60 pounds should be secured in the appropriate child safety seat or booster seat. If the booster seat does not have a front shield, the child should be seated outboard to take advantage of the added safety of the lap and shoulder belt. If too large for a booster seat, the child should wear the lap/shoulder belt properly. Children should never be allowed to lean forward toward the instrument panel (dashboard), as a passenger air bag deployment could cause severe injury or death to a child in this position.
2. All occupants should wear their lap and shoulder belts properly;
3. Driver and front passenger seats should be moved back as far as practical to allow the air bags room to inflate, and;
4. You should read your vehicle owner's manual and the instructions provided with your child safety or booster seat to make sure you are using it correctly.
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Included with this letter are self-stick labels for each of your vehicle's sun visors. The labels (specified by federal regulation) provide clear reminders of potential air bag dangers and suggest the best way to keep all your passengers, especially children, safe. All new vehicles equipped with passenger air bags and built on or after February 25, 1997 will have these labels as required by U.S. federal law. Please install them. By doing so, you, your passengers and any other operator of your vehicle will have convenient, easy-to-read instructions about air bag safety.
Instructions for mounting the labels on your vehicle's sun visors appear on the back of the labels. Please follow them carefully. To ensure proper bonding of the labels, please be sure the interior of your vehicle is at least 50° Fahrenheit.
We hope you never have an accident. But if you do, these important steps will increase the safety of you and your passengers. Please include this letter in your owner's manual as a reminder to others.